'This reward is great!'
The "bear" in Bear's Strength refers to the brown bear, the most powerful of all bears.
Its paw strike can reach a thousand kilograms!
With this power, even if a tiger, lion, or black bear went berserk, Yang Qi was confident he could protect himself.
The system was very considerate. After awarding "Bear's Strength," it even prompted, "Claim immediately?"
This obviously wasn't the right time, so Yang Qi declined.
...
Tutu ate nearly half a container of strawberries before finally stopping to wipe its paws.
There was no longer any sign of its poor appetite. It even let out a couple of happy chirps at Yang Qi.
[Thank you]
"You're welcome," Yang Qi replied with a smile. "Just make sure to eat well from now on."
[Yummy food]
Tutu chittered, having accidentally hit the nail on the head.
"Got it. Yummy food."
Yang Qi said goodbye with a smile and walked out of the enclosure, carrying the rest of the strawberries.
As soon as he stepped out, he was met with a "grand" reception from Gao Zhenyue, Qian Yu, Ye Haibing, and Song Wan.
The four of them clapped softly in unison, their faces filled with admiration.
"You're amazing, Brother Qi!" Gao Zhenyue gave him a thumbs-up.
"You really live up to the name Yang Druid Qi!" Ye Haibing clapped Yang Qi hard on the shoulder.
Qian Yu and Song Wan also smiled and nodded repeatedly, their eyes sparkling.
Cheng Yao, watching from the side, chimed in with heartfelt agreement. "That was truly amazing. You found the root of the problem in a flash. Yang Druid Qi, you were born to work with animals," she joked.
"It was nothing, really," Yang Qi said with a modest smile.
The keeper, Xiaowang, was now thoroughly convinced. Taking the strawberries Yang Qi handed back, he said with feeling, "Brother Yang, I saw people talking about you in the group chat before, and I wasn't too impressed. But seeing it with my own eyes... I'm a true believer! You're amazing!"
"Please, just call me Yang Qi."
Yang Qi smiled humbly. "I just got lucky and guessed right."
He then took the opportunity to suggest, "Going forward, you could try giving Tutu different fruits or safe-to-eat vegetables every few days to keep things interesting for it. That should prevent this sort of thing from happening again."
"Okay, Brother Yang, I'll remember that!" Xiaowang nodded eagerly, committing the advice to heart.
After a few more words, Yang Qi said goodbye to Cheng Yao and Xiaowang, then continued touring the Zoo with his four old classmates.
They stayed until evening, when he finally saw off Gao Zhenyue, Qian Yu, and the other two, who were still reluctant to leave, at the Zoo exit.
Back in the quiet of his small villa, Yang Qi eagerly claimed his mission reward.
Bear's Strength!
In an instant, a searing current of energy erupted from the depths of his Dantian, surging to every corner of his body.
Wisps of white steam even rose from the top of his head as his pores opened, expelling copious amounts of sweat mixed with faint gray impurities.
In that instant, Yang Qi could clearly feel his muscle fibers growing denser and more resilient, his meridians widening, the walls of his blood vessels becoming more elastic, and his bone density increasing. Even his internal organs felt as if they had been cleansed and strengthened by a warm force.
The force finally rushed into his skull, clearing his mind and making his thoughts seem a fraction sharper.
The entire process of refinement and strengthening lasted for about a minute before gradually subsiding.
Slowly clenching his fist, he heard his knuckles let out a soft CRACK. An unprecedented sense of abundant power coursed through him.
Yang Qi had a strong feeling that if a bull were in front of him now, he could kill it with a single punch!
He walked into the bathroom, peeled off his sweat-drenched shirt, and looked at himself in the mirror.
His previously somewhat slender frame was gone, replaced by lean, well-defined muscles. Pecs, abs... a full eight-pack!
The definition was sharp, but these weren't the bulky, stiff muscles you'd get from a gym. Instead, they radiated explosive power and coordination—the classic "lean in clothes, ripped underneath" physique.
Even more, Yang Qi felt he had grown slightly taller. His barefoot height had been 1.78 meters, and only with shoes on could he barely pass for 1.8 meters. Now, he felt he'd solidly hit the 1.8-meter mark even without shoes.
Not only that, but his hearing, vision, and sense of smell seemed to have grown sharper as well.
Carefully sensing the heaven-and-earth-shaking changes in his body, Yang Qi was deeply satisfied and thrilled.
"This 'Bear's Strength' is truly incredible! A red panda is a 'bear' too, after all!"
...
That evening, Yang Qi cooked Spirit Rice as usual, this time measuring out less than half a pound of the grains.
It wasn't that he was being stingy and unwilling to share with Xiaojiu; rather, the Spirit Rice was so rich in energy that eating too much was a waste since it couldn't be fully absorbed.
Yang Qi had realized this the previous night.
The energy from the Spirit Rice could only gently nourish the body; any excess would simply dissipate on its own.
To actually absorb this kind of energy, one would need a special Cultivation Method.
Less than half a pound of Spirit Rice was more than enough for him and Xiaojiu.
When the rice was cooked, its unique, fragrant aroma once again filled the room. Man and cat ate their fill, utterly satisfied.
At the stroke of midnight, the system's daily settlement arrived on schedule.
[Today's feeding tasks are complete. Host has fed a total of six types of Spirit Beasts. Contribution Points +30]
'Not bad, not bad.'
'Thirty points a day. That means I can do one lottery draw every four days.'
'Too bad these good days won't last much longer.'
'Right now, I'm just learning under Bao Shun, which is why I get to feed so many animals.'
'Once I'm officially on the job, I'll be in charge of three species at most.'
...
「The next day, Sunday.」
Yang Qi woke up bright and early as usual, feeling refreshed and invigorated. He followed his mentor, Bao Shun, to continue familiarizing himself with the feeding routines for the leopards, jackals, and wolves, committing every detail to memory.
He had lunch at the cafeteria and Spirit Rice for dinner.
At midnight, he received another 30 contribution points.
...
On Monday, Yang Qi kept to his early-morning routine, completing the morning feedings with Bao Shun. After breakfast at the cafeteria, he headed to the administration building, just as Mei Ying had instructed him to the day before.
Mei Ying personally received Yang Qi in her office and slid a contract in front of him with a smile.
"Xiao Yang, here, sign this."
Yang Qi took the contract and examined it, his surprise evident. "Sister Mei, I'm being offered a permanent contract already?"
This was much faster than he had expected.
"Everyone has seen what you're capable of these past few days. Special talents require special treatment, of course."
Mei Ying's smile was warm as she explained, adding jokingly, "If we keep you on as a temporary worker, what happens if you take off, or get poached by another zoo? That would be a huge loss for us, wouldn't it?"
"Haha, that won't happen. Since you and the Zoo value me so much, Sister Mei, I'll definitely do my best here."
Yang Qi laughed as well. Without a moment's hesitation, he picked up the pen and signed his name on the employment contract.
The very instant the tip of his pen left the paper, the system's prompt arrived right on cue.
[Congratulations, Host, you have been officially promoted to an Outer Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect.]
[Reward: Moon Invitation Qi Refining Art]
'The Moon Invitation Qi Refining Art?'
'An immortal Cultivation Technique!'